Google’s New Wireless Network Might Be Perfect For Travelers

Google’s New Wireless Network Might Be Perfect For Travelers

Google’s New Project Fi ditches roaming fees and charges the same price for data in over 120 countries.
This week, Google announced its latest undertaking, Project Fi, which will seamlessly provide internet access to wireless devices without breaking the bank. Project Fi will automatically connect your phone or tablet to any free, secure Wi-Fi hotspots in your vicinity so you’ll only have to use cellular data when absolutely necessary. Roaming fees are often a frequent traveler’s worst enemy, since no one wants to pay exorbitant prices to call their loved ones or check their email. Thanks to Project Fi, those incidents may very well become a thing of the past.

And the pricing is more reasonable than many overseas phone and data plans. Google is charging a $20 base price for domestic calls and texts along with $10 per gigabyte of data, but you only pay for the data you use—for example, if you sign up for 2GB but only use 1.2GB that month, you will only be charged $32 for that billing cycle instead of $40.

However, the biggest news to come out of Project Fi is that it’s not just limited to domestic data: the $10 per GB data pricing applies to all of the countries that currently support Project Fi, and if you need to make a call internationally, most countries only charge 20 cents per minute. Google has listed rates for all of the supported countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, China, South Korea, and Germany, on its new Fi website. In the U.S., Google will be using Sprint and T-Mobile networks to provide cellular data, but they have not clarified on what they will be using for other countries.

However, there is a catch: As of right now, the only phone that supports the service is Google’s own Nexus 6, although that’s highly likely to change in the near future, since the official Project Fi site says the service is “first available on the Nexus 6.” In addition, the service is currently in a trial phase where you need to request an invite to get access, which is Google’s typical process for rolling out new services before making them widely available. Regardless, it’s definitely an interesting decision on Google’s part to compete in the already crowded telecom space, and, if their promises ring true, switching carriers to Project Fi could prove to be a worthwhile investment for travelers across the globe.